UMUR I, Monarch is the 3rd full-length studio album by American death metal act Hate Eternal. The album was released in June 2005 by Earache Records.

The music on the album is relentlessly brutal and fast-paced death metal. The musicianship is outstanding. Blasting drums and adventurous atonal riffing are some of the trademarks of Hate Eternal. The vocals are growls. Erik Rutan certainly sounds brutal but he also sounds monotone and he lacks a personal singing style. While all 10 tracks are fierce and well played death metal attacks, I think the album lacks variation, but what´s even worse, it seriously lacks dynamics. The pedal is seldom lifted and you´re not given any time to breathe at all. The only song that stands out a bit from the rest is the closing instrumental track Faceless One.

The production by bandleader/ vocalist/ guitarist Erik Rutan is professional but it doesn´t help bring out the details in the music. I think it´s a bit flat and lifeless.

I´ve given I, Monarch a fair amount of spins since it was released and unfortunately my interest in the album has only decreased since then. Brutal, technically well played and even adventurous at times death metal should be right down my alley, but something is definitely missing here to make I, Monarch a good listening experience for me. This one is simply too one-dimnesional for my taste. A 3 star rating is warranted.